Fitting for Corner Cabinets

ABSTRACT

A fitting for a corner cabinet has a support with a guide member supporting and moving a shelf on a path from inside the corner cabinet into a position in front of a door opening. The guide member is pivotably connected to the shelf bottom and to a part of the corner cabinet. A follower device couples door and shelf during opening of the door. The follower device has a follower body connected to the door and a coupling member connected to the shelf. A follower pawl of the follower body, during opening of the door, is secured in coupled position on the coupling member and is decoupled from the coupling member as the shelf moves farther after the door has reached an open position. The follower pawl, after transfer of the shelf into an intermediate pivot position and/or into a closed position, is re-coupled to the coupling member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a fitting for a corner cabinet, in particular for a corner cabinet of a kitchen, comprising an interior of a substantially rectangular footprint that is accessible at the front by means of a corner cabinet door. The fitting comprises at least one support that is supportable within the interior of the corner cabinet for securing at least one one-piece shelf of a substantially semi-circular basic shape wherein the support comprises at least one guide member that supports the shelf and moves the shelf on a predetermined movement path from an inner position inside the interior of the corner cabinet into an outer position outside of the corner cabinet where the shelf is located substantially in front of the door opening of the corner cabinet. The guide member is pivotably connected to the bottom side of the shelf and, by means of a support fitting, is pivotably connected to a corner cabinet part, in particular a sidewall part. Between the corner cabinet door that closes off the door opening and the shelf there is a follower device for coupling the door and the shelf during at least a portion of the opening movement of the door.

A fitting for corner cabinets of the aforementioned kind is disclosed in US 2006/0012273 A1. In this fitting, the support comprises two guide members that control a predetermined movement path of the shelf wherein one of the guide members is supported in a pivotable way on a stationary support column in the interior of the corner cabinet and the other guide member is supported on a sidewall of the corner cabinet. The two guide members are connected pivotably to the bottom side of each shelf so that they ensure that the shelf is movably supported such that not only a pivot movement about one axis is carried out but that the shelf also carries out an additional movement relative to a circular movement path, which makes it possible that, as a result of the movement path controlled by these two guide members, the shelf assumes an end position in which the shelf is substantially positioned in front of the door opening of the corner cabinet.

It is particularly advantageous in this connection that, even when several shelves are positioned at a spacing above each other, the shelves can also be pivoted individually into the outward position without all the other shelves that are provided having to be moved also mandatorily by having individual guide members correlated with each shelf. Each shelf surface area is therefore accessible individually from above by the user.

EP 1 776 899 B1 discloses a pivotable shelf arrangement for a corner cabinet that, in analogy to the fitting disclosed in the above mentioned document, operates with two guide members, one being connected to the sidewall of the corner cabinet and the other to a vertical support column. As a result of the two provided guide members, in this system a shelf is movable also into a position that is substantially in front of the door opening. As a result of a construction with support arm-like feature, two shelves that are arranged atop each other can however only be moved together into a position in front of the door opening so that the shelf positioned underneath the top shelf is not easily or freely accessible from above.

DE 10 2007 009 894 B3 discloses a corner cabinet of the aforementioned kind that comprises a coupling means with a bolt and a guide piece. As a follower device, a bolt and a guide piece are provided on the shelf wherein the bolt, up to the point of reaching an intermediate position of the shelf, engages the guide piece for transmitting the door movement of the door of the corner cabinet onto the shelf; for this purpose on the corner cabinet door a pivotable leverage arrangement is provided that is connected to the bolt which, in turn, engages a slot-shaped bolt receptacle of a base member on the shelf for a coupling action. This follower device is of a complex configuration and requires a positionally precise assembly in order to be able to transfer the bolt of the leverage arrangement into the slot-shaped receptacle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fitting for corner cabinets of the aforementioned kind that enables a safe entrainment of the shelf during opening of the door but also enables easy decoupling of shelf and door.

In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that a fitting for corner cabinets is characterized in that the follower device has a follower body that is stationarily connected to the door and is provided with a pivotably supported follower pawl that during an opening movement of the door is maintainable in a coupled position with a coupling member of the shelf, that after at least a partial open position of the door has been reached can be decoupled from the coupling member of the shelf during the course of a continued opening movement of the shelf, and after transfer of the shelf into an intermediate pivot position and/or after transfer of the shelf into a closed position (stored position inside cabinet) can be again coupled to the coupling member.

Further features and details of the inventive fitting are disclosed in the dependent claims.

In this way, a fitting for corner cabinets is made available that with simple means enables the safe entrainment of the shelf during the course of an opening movement of the door into the open position. The follower device is configured as a simple component to be stationarily mounted that requires no slot-shaped guide path but instead enables by the preferably spring-loaded pivotably supported pawl and a monolithic web, which may be simple plastic parts, a safe entrainment of the door and the shelf by means of the coupling member and enables automatically decoupling upon further movement of the shelf out of the cabinet after transfer of the door into its open position and/or an intermediate position. In reverse operation, it is possible that the coupling member for a re-coupling action pushes down the spring-loaded pivotably supported pawl and engages again the web so that door and shelf are coupled again. For this purpose, positionally optimized fastening locations, as they are needed in case of the prior art devices, are not required. This also applied for a free movement possibility of the coupling member so that decoupling and re-coupling can be realized easily and silently. When a pull-in device for a door is provided, the re-coupling action can also be carried out completely automatically in a substantially silent way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a corner cabinet in a plan view with a shelf in closed position (stored position) of the shelf and closed position of the corner cabinet door.

FIG. 1.1 is an embodiment of the fitting with its follower device and its follower pawl in the closed position of the shelf and the corner cabinet door according to the detail 1.1 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is an illustration in analogy to FIG. 1 showing a position of the door with entrained shelf during the course of the opening movement.

FIG. 2.1 shows the detail 2.1 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is an illustration in analogy to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 at the end of the follower movement of the shelf entrained by the door.

FIG. 3.1 shows the detail 3.1 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is an illustration in analogy to FIGS. 1 to 3 shortly after decoupling of the shelf from the corner cabinet door.

FIG. 4.1 shows the detail 4.1 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows a further opening movement of the shelf in the open position of the corner cabin door in an illustration in analogy to FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 5.1 shows detail 5.1 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is an illustration in analogy to FIGS. 1 to 5 with open corner cabinet door and the shelf returned into the closed (stored) position upon decoupling the shelf from the corner cabinet door.

FIG. 7 shows a first position of the corner cabinet door during return movement of the corner cabinet door into the closed position wherein the shelf and the corner cabin door have not yet been coupled again.

FIG. 7.1 shows detail 7.1 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows a second position of the corner cabinet door during the return movement of the corner cabinet door into the closed position.

FIG. 8.1 shows detail 8.1 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 shows a third position of the corner cabinet door during the return movement of the corner cabinet door into the closed position.

FIG. 9.1 shows detail 9.1 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is an illustration in analogy to FIGS. 1 to 9 of the corner cabinet with closed (stored) shelf and closed corner cabinet door in the state where shelf and corner cabinet door are coupled again.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the drawings, parts that acts the same way are principally identified with the same reference numerals.

In the illustrated embodiments, the corner cabinet, identified at 1, is shown in a plan view. The cabinet 1 has sidewalls 2 as well as a corner cabinet door 3 and a shelf 4 that, by means of guide members 5 and 6, can be transferred from the closed position illustrated in FIG. 1 into the open position. FIGS. 2 to 5 illustrated several consecutive positions of the door during the opening movement wherein the shelf is coupled to the door so as to carry out a joint movement.

In FIG. 5 the open position of the door 3 is illustrated. After the door 3 has reached this open position, the shelf 4 must still be moved farther so that in its open end position it is positioned substantially entirely in front of the door opening. This forced opening movement of the shelf up to the point of the completely moved-out position is disclosed in US 2006/0012273 A1, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, and reference is had to this disclosure in regard to details of the opening movement of the shelf. It should be noted that in the present embodiment no stationary central support is provided in contrast to the embodiment of US 2006/0012273 A1; instead the two guide members 5 and 6 are attached in a pivotable way to the sidewall 2 and a door post, respectively, in the area of the door opening of the corner cabinet 1.

A follower device that as a whole is reference by reference numeral 7 is provided and has a follower body 8 fixedly connected to the door 3 and made e.g. of plastic material. On the follower body 8, a follower pawl 9 is pivotably supported with one end and is loaded by spring 10 against abutment 15 in the form of a bolt. This follower pawl 9 has a guide path 11 that interacts with a bolt 12 of a coupling member 13 that, in turn, is loaded by spring 14 and attached to the shelf 4. The follower body 8 itself has a web 8.1 with a guide surface 8.2. In the coupled state of door 3 and shelf 4, the web 8.1 is engaged from behind by a coupling bolt 12 of the coupling member 13 and, when decoupled, the bolt 12 can move freely away from the web 8.1 (compare FIG. 4.1 and FIG. 5.1). For re-coupling the two parts 3, 4 (FIG. 7.1), the bolt 12 glides initially along the guide surface 8.2 of the follower body 8, then impinges on the follower pawl 9 (FIG. 8.1), pivots the pawl 9 (FIG. 9.1), and then snaps into place behind the web 8.1 of the follower body 8 (FIG. 10.1).

In FIG. 1 the initial position in the coupled state of the follower pawl 9 and of the coupling member 13 is illustrated. In this connection, the tip of the follower pawl 9 engages the coupling member 13. In FIGS. 2 and 3 the opening movement of the door 3 is illustrated wherein the follower pawl 9 rests against the coupling bolt 12 and in this way entrains forcibly the shelf 4 into the open position that is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Once the door 3 has reached the open position illustrated in FIG. 4, the shelf 4 can be decoupled from the follower body 8 and the follower pawl 9 by an opening pivot movement that is initiated by an operator, wherein the bolt 12 together with the coupling member 13 can be freely moved away from the stationarily positioned follower body 8.

When the shelf 4 is to be returned into its closed (stored) position as illustrated in FIG. 6, this must be done by an operator. In FIG. 6, the door 3 is still in its open position. It can be returned into the closed position as illustrated in FIGS. 7 through 10. In this connection, the respective positions of follower pawl 9 and coupling member 13 or coupling bolt 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 7.1 to 10.1. From the initially not yet re-coupled position according to FIG. 7.1 the bolt 12 moves according to the illustration of FIG. 8.1 on the guide path 11 of the follower pawl 9 and pushes the follower pawl 9 against the force of the spring 10 in clockwise direction according to the illustration of FIG. 9.1, i.e., in the drawing in downward direction, wherein in the closed end position, as a result of the provided guide path 11 and the tip of the follower pawl 9, the pawl 9 will snap across the bolt 12, when the closed position of the door 3 is reached, and engage behind the coupling member 13 with the bolt 12. This means that for a subsequent opening process the coupling action is realized again.

Not illustrated in detail, the shelf with can be provided with a pull-in (self-closing) device that is embodied as a damping device in order to automatically pull in the shelf at the end of the closing movement wherein the re-coupling action, depending on how the follower pawl is designed can also establish a forced coupling action between the door 3 and the shelf 4 shortly before reaching the final closed position in order to transfer the shelf 4 and the door 3 by means of the pull-in device automatically into the closed end position.

The specification incorporates by reference the entire disclosure of German priority document 10 2010 007 287.7 having a filing date of Feb. 8, 2010.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. 

1. A fitting for a corner cabinet that has an interior of substantially rectangular footprint and is accessible through a door at a front of the corner cabinet, the fitting comprising: at least one support adapted to be arranged stationarily in an interior of the corner cabinet for securing at least one one-piece shelf of a substantially semi-circular basic shape; wherein the at least support comprises at least one guide member supporting the shelf and moving the shelf on a predetermined movement path from an inner position inside the interior of the corner cabinet into an outer position outside of the corner cabinet substantially in front of a door opening of the corner cabinet; wherein the at least one guide member is pivotably connected to a bottom side of the shelf and pivotably connected to a part of the corner cabinet; a follower device coupling in a coupled state a door of a corner cabinet and the shelf during at least a portion of an opening movement of the door; wherein the follower device comprises a follower body connected stationarily to the door; wherein the follower device further comprises a coupling member connected to the shelf; wherein the follower body comprises a pivotably supported follower pawl; wherein the follower pawl, during the opening movement of the door, is secured in a coupling position on the coupling member of the shelf and is decoupled from the coupling member of the shelf during the course of a further opening movement of the shelf after the door has reached an at least partial open position; wherein the follower pawl, after transfer of the shelf into an intermediate pivot position and/or after transfer of the shelf into a closed position, is re-coupled to the coupling member.
 2. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the follower pawl is loaded by a spring force against the follower body.
 3. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the follower pawl has a guide path for the coupling member of the shelf.
 4. The fitting according to claim 3, wherein the coupling member of the shelf has a coupling bolt adapted to glide along the guide path of the follower pawl during a re-coupling action of the door and the shelf and wherein the coupling bolt is engaged from behind by the follower pawl in the coupled state of the door and the shelf.
 5. The fitting according to claim 4, wherein, during the re-coupling action, the coupling bolt pivots the follower pawl against the force of a spring acting on the follower pawl.
 6. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the follower pawl is supported with one end against the force of a pressure spring against an abutment.
 7. The fitting according to claim 6, wherein the abutment of the follower body is a bolt.
 8. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member of the shelf is spring-loaded.
 9. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member of the shelf after decoupling from the follower pawl is freely movable away from the follower body.
 10. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the follower body has a web engaged by the coupling member in the coupled state, wherein the coupling member is moveable away from the web during decoupling.
 11. The fitting according to claim 10, wherein the web has a guide surface and a part of the coupling member glides along the guide surface during the course of a re-coupling action.
 12. The fitting according to claim 11, wherein the part of the coupling member gliding along the guide surface is a coupling bolt, wherein the coupling bolt, after having passed the guide surface, acts on the follower pawl and pivots the follower pawl, wherein, after pivoting the follower pawl, the part of the coupling member during the course of a further movement of the re-coupling action engages the web.
 13. The fitting according to claim 1, wherein the follower pawl during the opening movement of the door engages in a first position the coupling member from above, wherein the follower pawl, when in the first position, is adapted to be decoupled from the coupling member, and wherein the follower pawl for re-coupling is transferred from a second position, in which the follower pawl is engaged by the coupling member from above, into the first position. 